Push for contractors to fast track qualifications

Sylvia Pennington

The recruitment sector is pushing technology contractors with technical skills but no formal qualifications to make themselves more marketable by undertaking fast-track diplomas which give credit for experience in the workplace.

The IT Contract and Recruitment Association (ITCRA), training provider ProLearn and Holmesglen TAFE this week launched a free pilot program for 15 Melbourne contractors, who will complete diplomas of IT networking over the next three months.

Back to class ... ICT contractors are being urged to turn their technical skills into formal qualifications. Photo: Gabriele Charotte

Participants will be assessed and granted credit for existing skills and their training will be delivered flexibly to enable them to work and study concurrently. The pilot course will focus on project management, information and communication technology (ICT) practices and business requirements, network security and virtualisation.

Contractors comprise around 40 per cent of Australia's 220,000 strong ICT workforce, according to research from Peoplebank, one of the country's largest technology recruiters.

Industry sources estimate that between 30 and 50 per cent of this group have no tertiary qualifications in the area. Some have completed certification courses from major vendors such as Microsoft and Cisco while others have picked up their technical skills and management nous on the job.

If well received, ITCRA hopes to push the training scheme out to contractors in other states and will use government subsidies and industry sponsorship to keep costs as low as possible.

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Market value of the diploma is between $5000 and $6000, with an out-of-pocket cost of around $900 for participants who are eligible for state and federal government subsidies for workers who lack qualifications in their field. ITCRA superannuation partner OAMPS is picking up the tab for the gap on the pilot project.

ITCRA chief executive Julie Mills said the scheme would look to boost skills in areas of the market where the Association's SkillsMatch research index indicated there was a shortage.

Lacklustre market conditions notwithstanding, recruiters were taking up to six weeks to fill some positions and the sector wanted to be more proactive about helping contractors improve their employability, Mills said.

Skills shortages have been something of a political football in the sector in recent times. Job-seeking ICT professionals deny shortages exist while employers have sought to plug the gaps by hiring thousands of overseas ICT professionals on 457 temporary visas each year.

ProLearn business development manager Janine Harris said many unqualified ICT practitioners had significant gaps in their knowledge base and might struggle to find an equivalent position, should their current roles disappear.

Ongoing training and professional development have historically taken a backseat for many in the sector. Employers are rarely willing to foot the bill for workers who might walk at the end of the week, while contractors themselves are often loathe to incur the double whammy of time out and the high cost of vocational courses.

As the contract jobs market continues to limp along, applicants who can tick all the boxes and have a piece of paper to prove it may have the jump on their unqualified competitors.

Peoplebank chief executive Peter Acheson said employers were increasingly demanding candidates have certifications and formal qualifications, as well as on-the-job experience. Those who were willing to invest time and money in their own training would have the jump on the remainder, he said.

“In the current environment, we're recommending to people that they take the time to go and do some sort of course to enhance their market value,” Acheson said.

“It all talks to their ability to do the job … it helps to de-risk the hiring decision for companies."

Are you a learn-on-the-job ICT professional? Do formal qualifications make a difference when you're looking for a new gig, or are they scarcely worth the paper they're printed on?